Buhari begs Nigerians

From the President came yesterday soothing words to Nigerians, assuring them that the current pains induced by economic hardship would soon be a thing of the past. He said they should bear with  him as government will evolve some policies to cushion them from the pains of recession.
President Muhammadu Buhari was apparently reacting to the economic gloom painted by the report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) confirming that the country is in recession. It is the worst situation in 29 years, the report said. Inflation and unemployment rates
are 17.1% and 19.3% respectively. Companies are closing shop daily. Many are out of jobs. This is even as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urged Buhari to resign now while the All Progressives Congress (APC) said the party lacked the moral right to make such demand.
But speaking in Osogbo, Osun State yesterday during his one day visit, the President said pro-active measures were being put in place to actualize his administration’s Change Mantra for a better Nigeria.
In an address, where he commissioned Osogbo Government High School built by Governor Rauf Aregbesola,  Buhari said the Federal Government was quite aware of Nigerians’ pains in the last one and half years, following economic retrogression occasioned by the sharp drop in crude oil price.
Buhari assured that assiduous efforts were being made by the government to rescue the nation from the crisis as well as the past mistakes that brought us to where we are and make Nigeria great again.
“Changes are never achieved on the bed of roses, but through perseverance, steadfastness, dedication and integrity,” he said.
“We promised Nigerian people positive and progressive change. We are not and will not be tired  of pursuing our goals of change. Change is through patience, perseverance and steadfastness,’ he stressed.
“We are quite aware of the pains and inconveniences that have been the lot of the citizenry in the past one year as we strive to faithfully implement our programmes in fulfilment of our Change Agenda. We are, however, comforted by the real change and progress we have made in fighting corruption and restoring integrity to government; providing security for lives and property; and positioning the government for effectiveness and especially deregulating the oil sector.
“We promised Nigerian people positive and progressive change during our campaign. We are not and shall not be deterred from that noble undertaking. “But as we have learnt from history, change has never been attained by any nation on a bed of roses, but rather, through patience, perseverance and steadfastness,” he said.
In his remarks, Governor Aregbesola promised his administration’s continued commitment to educational and other infrastructural developments.
A chieftain of the APC, Senator Ayo Arise, has pleaded for the understanding of Nigerians over the state of the economy.
Speaking with Daily Sun, the former Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation said it was needless to demand for Buhari’s resignation, saying his economic policies would soon generate results that would put smiles on the faces of the electorate who voted for change.
“Most importantly, the focus on manufacturing which I believe there is not yet sufficient incentive to drive the sector is also a way to go,” he noted.
Speaking to Daily Sun in Abuja, the PDP Director for New Media, Deji Adeyanju, restated the party’s call on Buhari, saying the President has demonstrated in the past 15 months that he lacks the capacity to tackle the myriad of problems confronting the country.
The party said every aspect of Nigeria’s socio-political life ranging from elections,  respect for rule of law, human rights has been adversely affected by the President’s dismal performance.
Adeyanju said the worse challenge confronting the country presently is that APC administration does not even realise that Nigeria is confronted with a serious problem,  that is why they are carrying on as if all is well.
According to the opposition party, the  figures from the NBS show that Buhari has destroyed the economy.
“For the avoidance of doubt, some of these figures include: GDP contracted by -2.06% in Q2 2016. In contrast, the economy grew by 2.35% in Q2 2015. Q2 was worse than the -0.36% shrinking of the economy in Q1 2016.  Headline Inflation for July 2016 stands at 17.1%. It was from 16.5% in June 2016.  Food inflation was 15.58% for July 2016 from 15.3% in June 2016.
Meanwhile, a former Minister of Sports and Special Duties and PDP National Chairmanship aspirant, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, said the Buhari administration lacks a viable economic team to tackle the present challenges.
Adedoja told Daily Sun that even though recession is a global phenomenon, every serious country must be prepared for it.
Former governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, yesterday lambasted the PDP for calling on the President to resign.
Adebayo said: “I think it is irresponsible for anybody in the PDP to be asking the President to resign because of the present economic recession in the country.
“If we all face the fact that the economic recession was largely caused by the corruption that existed in the last regime of the PDP government in this country, I think it is irresponsible for the PDP to be calling for Buhari’s resignation.right now” he added.
“When Jonathan came in, even though oil was selling much more than it was selling during Obasanjo’s administration he refused to save any money. By now we should have had more than enough to make not to face recession when the oil price fell drastically.
Reacting, the Akwa Ibom State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Ini Ememobong, said the NBS boss should be prepared to face a probe over the report. He said the NBS data showed that Buhari would leave in 2019. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun yesterday, he said just as the Federal Government was considering probing the two former governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria, for making comments considered unpalatable to the federal government, the D-G of the NBS could equally be probed for confirming what Nigerians had already known as a depressed economy.
“The release of the statistics by the NBS is just an official confirmation of what Nigerians had long known. That the economy is in recession is not a matter of data. People feel it. It is not data that you need to analyse; it is a reality that people don’t see food; the goods an amount of money would buy before the recession, you can’t buy again. It is the absence of liquidity in the system.
Meanwhile, the National Integrity Group which comprises of 18 PDP support groups said the NBS data is good omen for the party in 2019 general elections.
Briefing newsmen shortly after the meeting yesterday in Kaduna, the joint Chairman of Integrity and Solidarity groups in Kaduna, Rilwanu Abdullahi, lamented that those who were elected under APC platform have abandoned their people because there is little or nothing to show that they are in government, saying, “those they elected have run away and left us who don’t have any palliative from government to take care of poor masses who voted them into power”.
Reacting to PDP’s outburst, the APC said the opposition party lacks credibility and rectitude to make such demand on Buhari. A statement signed by the National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, the APC assured Nigerians that the Buhari administration remains solidly committed to resuscitating the economy in the quickest possible time and in the best interest of the people.
The APC said: “The statement by the PDP is the latest in the party’s insensitive plot to divert attention from the voodoo economics and reckless fiscal policies the country was subjected to during its 16-year rule.
“For the umpteenth time, the PDP lacks the moral basis and credibility to comment or condemn the government on the economy after the mess it left behind. Instead, the PDP must apologize to Nigerians.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State House of Assembly has condemned the call on the President to resig, describing it as a tactless and a distraction to governance.
The House Chairman, Committee on Information, Tunde Braimoh, said it was too early to judge Buhari, accusing the PDP of making a joke out of a serious situation.
He said: “The call is hasty, tasteless and frivolous, because the President has been in the saddle for less than 18 months. The rot that we are complaining of which has characterized Nigeria, and is causing us much set back has been there for decades. It became pronounced and entrenched during the 16 years of PDP. When this government came on board, it did not say it would perform miracles.
Former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said the PDP was right but such a thing does not happen in developing countries like Nigeria, Nobody expects that a Nigerian President would resign on account of what he has done in office. We accept that things are very bad in Nigeria, but for whether Buhari would resign or not, I can tell you that he would not resign. In developed countries, it is enough for a president to resign on account of what is happening in Nigeria today.
Look at what is happening in Brazil just because of manipulation of the budget. That is the difference between the developed and developing nations.
Also reacting, Chief Frank Kokori, former Secretary of NUPENG said: “It is comical for anybody to call for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari. It is even more comical when the call is coming from the PDP, a party that was in power for 16 years. I am not a fanatical fan of Buhari but I think the man should be given a chance. Nigeria is not the first country where its economy is going into recession. We would get out of it but we need to give Buhari a chance.
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